28 Transactions of the 



were obtained in a quarter of an hour. On this occasion, though pleased to obtain bo 

 much material for cabinet and laboratory uses, I was especially gratified in observing the 

 actions of the males in searching for their mates. My attention was first arrested by a 

 male vigorously scratching the ground with his feet while his antennae were fully extended 

 with their antennal plates widely separated. His progress being too slow to suit my pur- 

 pose, I assisted him in his excavation, and at a depth of half an inch discovered a female 

 who, with head upwards, was struggling to reach the surface, having evidently but just 

 emerged from the pupa. A little further on another male was busily scratching the soil, 

 and another female was unearthed directly underneath, while a moment later two rival 

 males were discovered digging for a third female who was buried nearly an inch below 

 the surface. 



Two or three evenings later I visited the same spot, but found the pairing season evi- 

 dently over, only two or three single specimens rewarding my search. But the repeated 

 observations of July 15, have convinced me that the male antennfe of Polyphylla variolosa 

 have an excessive development in size, and an extreme sensibility to sound vibrations in 

 order to enable them to ascertain the position of tlieir mates while yet buried in the 

 ground. 



METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR 1874. 



PROF. F. H. snow's ANNUAL REPORT AS METEOROLOGIST, TO THE STATE BOARD OI" 



AGRICULTURE. 



Station, Lawrence, Kansas; Latitude 38° 58^; Longitude 95° 16*; elevation of barometer and thermom- 

 eters, 884 feet above the sea level, and 14 feet above the ground ; rain gauge on the ground ; ane- 

 mometer 105 feet above the ground, on the dome of the University building. 



TEMPERATURE. 



Mean temperature of the year, 54°. 2, which is l°.2o above tlie mean of the six preced- 

 ing years. The highest temperature was 108°, on the 5th of August; this being 4" 

 higher than any previous observation on our seven years' record. The lowest tempera- 

 ture was 3° below zero, on the 29th of December ; this being 2° higher than any previ- 

 ous annual minimum on our record. Mean temperature at 7 A. M., 47°. 88; at 2 p. M., 

 62°.49; at 9 p. m., 50°.18. 



Mean temperature of the winter months, 28°.88 — 00.08 above the average ; of the 

 summer, 80°.92 — 4°.53 above the average; of the autumn, 53°.92— 1°.62 above the av- 

 erage. 



The coldest month of the year was February — the coldest February on our record — 

 with mean temperature 27°.5; the coldest week was February 20th-26th, with mean 

 temperature 19°.24; the coldest day was December 29, with mean tempei-ature 7°.3. The 

 mercury fell below zero but twice — January 3, and December 29. 



The hottest month of the year was July, with mean temperature 83°. 62; the hottest 

 week was July 19th-25th, mean temperature 89°.33; the hottest days were August 5 and 

 11, which each had a mean temperature of 94°. The mercury reached or exceeded 90° 

 on 58 days, viz: 4 in May, 6 in June, 21 in July, 24 in August, and 3 in September. 

 There were 9 days on which the mercury reached or exceeded 100°, viz: July 24, 25, and 

 August 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 17. 



The last light frost of spring was on April 23 ; the first light frost of autumn was on 

 September 15, giving a period of 145 days entirely without frost. The last severe frost 

 of spring was on April 9; the first severe frost of autumn was on October 23, giving a 

 period of 207 days without severe frost. No cold weather during the year caused any 

 damage to fruit. 



